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Anvil of Civilization
New unread/unmarked book long out of print. Tight binding and cover in excellent shape for its age. Ships same or next day!
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1957
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About the author
Leonard Cottrell
178 books24 followersLeonard Eric Cottrell was a prolific and popular British author and journalist. Many of his books were popularizations of the archaeology of ancient Egypt.
Leonard Cottrell was born in 1913 in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, to William and Beatrice Cottrell (née Tootell). His father inspired his interest in history from a very young age. At King Edward's Grammar School, Birmingham, Leonard was notably only interested in English and history, in which he read widely.
In the 1930s, Cottrell toured the English countryside on his motorcycle, visiting prehistoric stone circles, burial mounds of the Bronze Age, medieval and Renaissance monuments. On those journeys, he was often accompanied by Doris Swain, whom he later married. After gaining experience writing articles on historical subjects for motoring magazines, he wrote his first documentary for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1937.
Cottrell was rejected by the RAF during World War II for medical reasons, but he joined the BBC in 1942 and was stationed in the Mediterranean with the RAF in 1944, as a war correspondent. His wartime experiences formed the basis of his book All Men are Neighbours (1947). He worked at the BBC until 1960, when he resigned and moved to a house overlooking the estuary of the River Kent in Westmoreland, Cumbria, where he stayed for the rest of his life, writing.
Among other achievements, Cottrell was the editor of the Concise Encyclopaedia of Archaeology (1965).
He was married and divorced twice, first to Doris Swain (divorced 1962) and Diana Bonakis (married 1965; divorced 1968). He had no children by either marriage.
Leonard Cottrell died on 6 October 1974.
Leonard Cottrell was born in 1913 in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, to William and Beatrice Cottrell (née Tootell). His father inspired his interest in history from a very young age. At King Edward's Grammar School, Birmingham, Leonard was notably only interested in English and history, in which he read widely.
In the 1930s, Cottrell toured the English countryside on his motorcycle, visiting prehistoric stone circles, burial mounds of the Bronze Age, medieval and Renaissance monuments. On those journeys, he was often accompanied by Doris Swain, whom he later married. After gaining experience writing articles on historical subjects for motoring magazines, he wrote his first documentary for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1937.
Cottrell was rejected by the RAF during World War II for medical reasons, but he joined the BBC in 1942 and was stationed in the Mediterranean with the RAF in 1944, as a war correspondent. His wartime experiences formed the basis of his book All Men are Neighbours (1947). He worked at the BBC until 1960, when he resigned and moved to a house overlooking the estuary of the River Kent in Westmoreland, Cumbria, where he stayed for the rest of his life, writing.
Among other achievements, Cottrell was the editor of the Concise Encyclopaedia of Archaeology (1965).
He was married and divorced twice, first to Doris Swain (divorced 1962) and Diana Bonakis (married 1965; divorced 1968). He had no children by either marriage.
Leonard Cottrell died on 6 October 1974.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 8, 2013
An interesting and general portrayal of the history of the middle east and Mediterranean areas. While it is a bit dated, I found it quite interesting how the author discusses the cultures and religions of the various civilizations in an attempt to help the reader understand the mindset of the civilization at hand. One thing that is often left out of histories such as this is the religion and beliefs of the people. Often these histories dwell solely on names and dates, which can be very boring. Understanding the beliefs of the people is important because one's beliefs greatly influence one's actions.
Overall, a dated but decent book.
Overall, a dated but decent book.
September 30, 2020
As with all of Cottrell's works, this 1957 exposition on the ancient worlds of the eastern Mediterranean is as easy to read as it is informative and engaging. As good a popularizer for ancient history as Asimov was for science, he knows how to tell a story, even if is about men who lived and died thousands of years ago. His stories of Akhnaten and Nefertiti, of Nebuchadnezzar, of Xerxes and Themistocles make their ancient settings somehow come alive and mean something to the modern reader. These individuals respectively tried to remake the entire religion of a country while falling out with one another, to conquer Egypt, and Assyria while enslaving (yet again) the Jews, and to face one another in battle with an invasion force of a million and half men whom, with their supporters, numbered almost five million. Who said history had to be boring?
What did make the most significant impression in the work as a whole was the difference between, on the one hand, the Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Babylonians, Minoans and Myceneans and, on the other hand, the Greeks. The former peoples seem to blend all together into one amorphous mass when put side by side with the men from Athens and Sparta of the fifth century B.C. The former were traditional, each in their own way, but each essentially in the same way. From one generation to the next, their economic activities, means of political administration, and religious and cultural forms of expression stated much the same. What my father did, was ruled by and believed was in large part good enough for me. Thus, Egyptian civilization lasted for well over two thousand years but bequeathed to us today far less than the Greeks of one century - the fifth century B.C. - developed, especially in terms of political government and philosophic and literary expression. The ancient peoples accepted their world, the Greeks actually thought about how to make theirs a better one.
A good introduction to a very complex, very long and very influential time in the vast span of human history.
What did make the most significant impression in the work as a whole was the difference between, on the one hand, the Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Babylonians, Minoans and Myceneans and, on the other hand, the Greeks. The former peoples seem to blend all together into one amorphous mass when put side by side with the men from Athens and Sparta of the fifth century B.C. The former were traditional, each in their own way, but each essentially in the same way. From one generation to the next, their economic activities, means of political administration, and religious and cultural forms of expression stated much the same. What my father did, was ruled by and believed was in large part good enough for me. Thus, Egyptian civilization lasted for well over two thousand years but bequeathed to us today far less than the Greeks of one century - the fifth century B.C. - developed, especially in terms of political government and philosophic and literary expression. The ancient peoples accepted their world, the Greeks actually thought about how to make theirs a better one.
A good introduction to a very complex, very long and very influential time in the vast span of human history.
August 19, 2009
This book is hilarious in its outdatedness and stuffy pompousness.
June 8, 2020
When I read this, back when I was in junior high or high school (a copy my dad had, and I don't remember the exact year - 1958 is a guess), I was fascinated by this overview of the ancient Near East.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews